In more than two years of travel through almost 50 countries, I have both shared in the wonders of diverse cultures and witnessed the despair of poverty and political instability that often lurk within: I have scaled 18,000 ft. peaks in Kenya and Nepal; been beaten by thugs while bicycle touring through Nicaragua; watched in awe as tribesmen is Papua dressed in nothing but penis gourds slaughtered pigs for ceremony; and dodged paramilitaries armed with grenade launchers in Colombia. My international exposure also includes briefly living and working in Italy, becoming proficient in Spanish, and growing up as a first generation American with dual U.S. and British citizenship.

These experiences have had a profound influence on my thinking. First, they have made me realize how quickly and easily commerce and culture flow across international borders. The pervasiveness of Coca-Cola and American pop music are just two indications of how small the world has become.

Second, I now understand how global the product life cycle truly is, from materials, to manufacturing, and finally retirement. Nothing drove this home better than when, in a small village in Tanzania, I noticed a man wearing a promotional t-shirt from my old employer that only a few dozen people in California had been given. It had been donated, sold in bulk, shipped to Africa, and resold in a town market!

Finally, traveling abroad has given me insights into our own American culture. I can now see that the US is a nation of individuals, rather than a community. As each person reaches for their own piece of the American dream, something gets left behind -community, a sense of a greater good, sound infrastructure. Exposure to diverse cultures is necessary to gain the perspective needed to grow beyond one's own limited cultural bounds. With this in mind, I now spend more time working in my own community.

Критика

“Вау” - вот что приходит на ум после прочтения этого эссе. Автор этого шедевра является экстраординарной и одаренной личностью. Он талантливый писатель и идеальный кандидат в бизнес-школу, у которого за плечами богатейший опыт работы с людьми разных национальностей и культур. Его размышления над тем «how global the product life cycle is" указывают на его готовность окунуться в мир изучения бизнеса. В последнем параграфе он размышляет над темой «потерянной Американской Мечты» и над положительным влиянием этой потери.